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Notes: The let-7 microRNA family are thought to act as tumor suppressors. Let-7 activity is downregulated in several cancers, and overexpression of let-7 inhibits cancer growth in some mouse models. The authors of this paper describe a sensitive luciferase-based reporter assay for detecting let-7 miRNA activity in cells. The reporter construct was based on the pmirGLO Vector, which contains firefly luciferase as the reporter gene and Renilla luciferase as an internal control. The authors inserted let-7 miRNA target sites at the 3′ end of the firefly luciferase gene. Interaction of let-7 miRNA with these target sequences resulted in reduced luciferase activity. The authors used the reporter construct to screen a kinase inhibitor library for compounds that repress let-7 activity in ovarian cancer cells, and identified GSK-3β as a potential target for therapeutics. (4406)

Notes: This study identified that miR-21 is significantly overexpressed in human cervical squamous cancer tissues and cell lines, and showed that the level of miR-21 correlates with tumor differentiation, and regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of HPV16-positive cells. The authors used gene expression profiling and luciferase reporter assay to identify candidate target genes for miR-21. Wildtype and mutant 3′-UTR sequences from the target gene CCL20 containing putative binding sites for miR-21 were subcloned into the psiCHECK-2 Vector and used to transfect HEK293 cells. The Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System and GloMax® Multi Luminometer were used to measure luciferase activity from both constructs. (4192)

Notes: These authors investigated the role of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) in a reversible model of cancer that is initiated by infection with intracellular Theileria parasites. They found that gene induction by parasite infection was associated with trimethylation of histone H3K4 (H3K4me3) at the MMP-9 promoter. The H3K4 methyltransferase SMYD3 was the only histone methyltransferase upregulated upon infection. They therefore investigated the role of SMYD3 overexpression on MMP-9 expression and cell migration, identifying SMYD3 as an important new regulator of MMP-9 transcription. During the study they used the GloMax® Multi Luminometer to measure luminescence and absorbance in reporter and cell viability assays. They also used the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay to measure SMYD3 activity in cells transfected with a SMYD3 reporter, and the pGL4-hRluc/TK plasmid for normalization of the experimental reporter activity. GoTaq® DNA polymerase was used in semi-quantitative RT-PCR. (4189)

Notes: The authors used GoTaq® DNA Polymerase to amplify cDNA generated from total RNA (RT-PCR) extracted from murine erythroid leukemia (MEL) cells and mouse erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-Es). These cells were used to study the molecular mechanism of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR)-induced erythroid differentiation, a process involved in azanucleotides for treating myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) that reduces the risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Treatment of these cells with 5-aza-CdR, a hypomethylation reagent, upregulated genes responsible for heme production and iron uptake. The pGL3 basic vector and promoter were used to create plasmid constructs of different E-box regulatory sequences with a luciferase reporter. The plasmids were cotransfected with c-Myc, Max or both transcription factors into human hepatocytes (HepG2). The Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System was used to identify that the –6kb E-box of the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) promoter was a strong enhancer for inducing TfR1 expression when c-Myc and Max formed functional complexes that bound to it. Bisulfite sequencing was performed to study methylation patterns after 5-aza-2’-CdR treatment using the pGEM-T® Easy Vector system to ligate the isolated DNA fragments for TfR1 and Fech (ferrochetalase), which were transformed into E coli. for final sequencing. (4176)

Notes: To confirm the role of a mutation in the miR-96 microRNA (miRNA) associated with an autosomal dominant hearing lost, HeLa cells (250,000 cells per well in six-well plates) were transfected with 4µg of plasmid carrying wild type or mutant miR-96 miRNA using FuGENE® HD Transfection Reagent. After 24 hours, the cells were washed and total RNA extracted. After quantitation, the RNA used in RT-PCR analysis. The entire 3´UTRs of eight putative target genes were amplified by PCR from genomic DNA and cloned into the psiCHECK™-2 Vector. HeLa cells were transiently transfected with 2µg of the 3´ UTR psiCHECK™-2 constructs and 0.2µg of a wild-type, single or double mutant miR-96 plasmid using FuGENE® HD Transfection Reagent. Forty-eight hours after transfection, the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System was used to quantitity the firefly and Renilla luciferase in cell lysates. (4251)

Notes: This paper describes a rapid dual-luciferase-based assay for L1 retrotransposition that is amenable to high-throughput screening. A firefly luciferase vector in which the luciferase gene was disrupted by an antisense intron was constructed by introducing a 900-bp fragment of the human γ-globin intron into pGL4.13. This Fluc gene, interrupted by an antisense intron, gives only minimal luciferase expression unless the luciferase gene is restored by a retrotransposition event. The authors also tested a similar retrotransposition reporter using the pGL4.73 Renilla luciferase vector, but found that the firefly construct gave much higher signals. They therefore used the firefly luciferase retrotransposition reporter, a Renilla luciferase normalization control and the Dual-Luciferase® Assay to characterize profiles of retrotransposition by various human and mouse L1 elements, and to measure the kinetics of L1 retrotransposition in cultured cells. The GloMax® Multi Luminometer was used to quantify luciferase activity. (4205)

Notes: This study analysed the roles of Dcp2 and Nudt16 in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay miRNA-mediated silencing. The authors used various luciferase reporter constructs to evaluate the significance of Dcp2 and Nudt16 in miRNA- and siRNA-mediated gene silencing in wildtype and knockout MEF cells. Various Renilla luciferase constructs containing or lacking miRNA target sites were cotransfected along with a control plasmid encoding firefly luciferase (for normalization purposes). Renilla and firefly luciferase luminescence were measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay and the GloMax®-Multi Luminometer. (4204)

Notes: These authors investigated the relationship between VEGF and oxidative stress related to preeclampsia. They showed that VEGF activates Nrf2 in an ERK1/2-dependent manner, protecting against oxidative stress. They first used a dual-luciferase reporter assay and a pGL3-ARE vector construct to show that VEGF activates ARE in the cytotrophic cell line BeWo. Firefly and Renilla luciferase activities were determined using the Dual-Luciferase® reporter assay system and the GloMax®-96 microplate luminometer. The authors then showed that inactivation of the transcription factor Nrf2 by shRNA abolished this VEGF-dependent ARE activation. To determine whether Nrf2 protected BeWo cells from oxidative stress, cells were pretreated with VEGF and then exposed to H2O2 before monitoring cell viability and cytotoxicity. Cytotoxicity assays were performed using the CytoTox-Glo™ Assay. (4199)

Notes: These authors studied KLF6 expression during human trophoblast cell differentiation, and its role in the regulation of genes associated with placental development and pregnancy maintenance. They used immunofluorescence microscopy, RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays to investigate cellular localization, mRNA expression, and transcriptional activation. Reporter assays were performed using various luciferase reporter constructs, the Dual-Luciferase® Assay, and the GloMax®-Multi Detection System. KLF6 was shown to play a role as transcriptional regulator of relevant genes for placental differentiation and physiology such as βhCG and PSG. (4197)

Notes: The authors used the Dual-Glo™ Luciferase Assay system to detect induction of NF-κB activity in transfected HEK-TLR4/MD2 cells expressing human CD14, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and MD2. An NF-κB-driven luciferase reporter gene and a thymidine kinase (TK) promoter-driven Renilla luciferase reporter gene were measured 24 hours after the cells were exposed to long palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1 protein (LPLUNC1) 1 hour prior to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from either E. coli or V. cholera. Figure 4 shows how LPLUNC1 was able to inhibit the TLR4 response to LPS from V. cholera. It was hypothesized that LPLUNC1 serves to reduce inflammation to enteric pathogens. Transfection details: Cells were seeded in 96-well plates at 30,000 cells/well and transfected with a total of 0.3µg of DNA per well. The transfected DNA contained 80ng of NF-κB-firefly luciferase plasmid and 20ng HSV-TK promoter-driven Renilla luciferase plasmid, along with human CD14 construct cloned into pCDNA3 at 10ng/well. (4177)

Notes: The authors determined that PERP, a tetraspan membrane protein, is required for enamel formation during tooth development in mice. Using microarray analysis, they then identified genes that were differentially expressed in wildtype and Perp-null mice and might be involved in enamel formation. Differential expression of these genes was confirmed by qPCR using the GoTaq® qPCR Master Mix. The authors also identified an upstream regulator of Perp, P63, by transfecting cells derived from embryonic mouse teeth with a Perp-luciferase reporter construct that contained a P63 response element or mutated P63 response element. A Renilla luciferase vector was used for normalization of transfection efficiency, and luciferase assays were performed using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. (4168)

Notes: These authors first used a FLAG-tagged protein (nfr2) with a HeLa Nuclear extract and captured interacting proteins via SDS-PAGE and in-gel digests of bands to identify (Krüppel-associated box)-associated protein 1 (KAP1) as a potential interacting partner. Human KAP1 was purchased as a HaloTag® CMV Flexi® Vector from Kazusa and used in a Mammalian PullDown scenario (with HaloLink™ Resin) to demonstrate interaction between the two proteins. A reporter assay was used to show that KAP1 facilitates Nrf2 transactivation in a dose-dependent manner. The authors defined the interaction sites using GST-tagged nrf2 and various forms of KAP1-HaloTag® Fusions expressed in TNT® SP6 High-Yield Wheat Germ Extract. GST-tagged proteins were expressed in E. coli and bound to glutathione-Sepharose beads. These bound proteins were mixed with the KAP1 from the cell-free expression system, incubated for 4 hours at 4°C, washed and stained with the HaloTag® TMR Ligand for 30 minutes. The proteins from the pull-down assay were subjected to SDS-PAGE and the HaloTag® proteins detected by phosphorimaging and the GST proteins by Coomassie Brilliant Blue Staining. A two-hybrid system consisting of the pRL-TK Vector with a firefly luciferase reporter with Gal4 UAS, mouse Nrf-2 N-terminal domain and KAP1 was also used. The vectors were transfected into Nrf2 knockout MEFs for 4 hours then incubated for 36 hours before luciferase expression was determined using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. (4123)

Notes: These authors investigated the role of the cardiac lineage protein 1 (CLP1/HEXIM1) in skeletal myogenesis. They showed that CLP1 knockout C2C12 cells were unable to differentiate, and then investigated the hypothesis that CLP1 associates with MyoD and HDAC proteins to downregulate cell cycle genes, such as cyclin D1, and allow expression of differentiation-specific genes. RNasin® Ribonuclease inhibitor was used in coimmunoprecipitation assays investigating the interaction between CLP1 and HDAC in C2C12 cells under differentiation and non-differentiation culture conditions. RNasin® was included during cell lysate preparation prior to coimmunoprecipitation assays with antibodies directed against various HDAC proteins. The authors also performed a luciferase reporter assay using the Dual-Luciferase® Assay System to investigate the regulation of cyclin D1 expression by CLP1, MyoD and HDAC. A luciferase reporter-cyclin D1 construct was co-transfected with MyoD, HDAC and CLP1 constructs and the effect on luciferase expression examined under differentiation and non-differentiation conditions. In differentiation medium MyoD, CLP1 and HDAC5 acted synergistically to reduce cyclin D1 expression. (4225)

Notes: The authors used a yeast two-hybrid system to identify proteins that interact with the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein. DAXX, a multifunctional protein involved in apoptosis and transcription regulation, interacts with AIRE, as shown through coimmunoprecipitation and colocalization studies. Colocalization of AIRE and DAXX in HeLa cells was demonstrated by confocal microscopy using a Monster Green® Fluorescent Protein-AIRE fusion protein and endogenous DAXX, which was detected using an anti-DAXX primary antibody and an anti-rabbit secondary antibody conjugated with Texas Red fluorophore. However, AIRE and DAXX did not interact in vitro in a GST pull-down assay using a GST-AIRE construct, radiolabeled DAXX protein expressed in a TNT® system, and MagneGST™ Glutathione Particles, leading the authors to speculate that the interaction is weak or there are scaffold proteins required for protein interaction. To examine the effect of DAXX on AIRE transcriptional activity, the authors transfected COS-1 and HeLa cells with AIRE and DAXX expression constructs and a luciferase reporter plasmid with the human insulin promoter, then performed Dual Luciferase® Reporter Assays. AIRE induced transcription of the insulin promoter, but coexpression of DAXX suppressed this transcriptional activation. (4153)

Notes: The authors investigated the role of the ubiquitin E3 ligase PDLIM2 in the degradation of signal tranducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). They showed that activation of PDLIM2 and subsequent STAT1 ubiquitination require protein kinase C-mediated phoshorylation of PDLIM2 on serine 137. Polyhistidine-tagged PDLIM2 and polyhistidine-tagged mutants PDLIM2-S137A and PDLIM2-S137D were purified using the MagneHis™ Protein Purification System for use in in vitro phosphorylation and ubiquitination assays. One mechanism used to assess levels of STAT1 was a reporter assay using RAW264.7 cells transfected with a pGL3-based construct containing a interferon γ-activated sequence (GAS) upstream of the firefly luciferase reporter gene. Expression of wildtype PDLIM2, but not the mutant forms, resulted in much lower levels of STAT1 protein, and thus lower luciferase activity, when cells were challenged with lipopolysaccharide.The pRL-TK Vector was used to normalize for transfection efficiency. Luciferase assays were performed using the Dual Luciferase® Reporter Assay System and Reporter Lysis Buffer. (4152)

Notes: The authors studied the ability of JAK1 V658F and A634D mutants to activate the Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT pathway when expressed alone or together with the other components of the interleukin-9 receptor complex. The BOX1 motif of wild-type IL-9Rα, the JAK interacting region, was mutated from PXP to SXS using the GeneEditor™ in vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis System. To assess STAT transcriptional activity, HEK293 human embryonic kidney, COS-7 monkey kidney, U4C human fibrosarcoma and g2A cells were cotransfected with 250ng of the appropriate constructs, 500ng of firefly luciferase vectors and 50ng of pRL-TK Vector and empty plasmid for a total 1.5µg of DNA. After 24 hours, the cells were lysed in 150µl of Passive Lysis Buffer and reporter activity measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. The ProFection® Mammalian Transfection System—Calcium Phosphate was used to transfect 106 HEK293 cells in a six-well plate with 3.75µg of plasmid for Western blot analysis and cotransfected 6 × 106 HEK293 cells in a 100mm dish with 14µg plasmid for immunoprecipitation studies. (4025)

Notes: This paper examined the role of the Cdk3/c-Jun signaling in EGF-stimulated cell proliferation and cell transformation. An AP-1 luciferase reporter plasmid construct was contransfected with various expression vector combinations of Cdk3, Cdk2, c-Jun, c-Jun M63/73, Cdk3-DN and cyclin C and the phRL-SV40 Vector as a normalization control. Cells were lysed at room temperature for 30 minutes with gentle shaking and luciferase activity measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. SaoS-2 cells transfected with a mock and Cdk3 RNAi vector were seeded at a density of 4 x 103 in 96-well plates with 20µl of medium. After 24 hours, 20µl of CellTiter® 96 AQueous One Solution was dispensed to each well, and the plate incubated for 1 hour at 37°C. The reaction was stopped using 25µl of 10% SDS and absorbance was measured at 492 and 690nm. For the CheckMate™ Mammalian Two-Hybrid System, the plasmid constructs, pACT-c-Jun, pBIND-Cdk3 and pG5luc, were cotransfected into HEK293 cells at no more than 100ng/well in a 48-well plate. After incubation and lysis, 20µl of lysate was dispensed into each well of a 96-well luminescence plate. Firefly and Renilla luciferase activity was detected. (4028)

Notes: The authors examined whether HMGB1 and HMGB2 proteins could affect promoter activity of the topoisomerase IIα gene. Portions of the topoisomerase IIα gene promoter were cloned into the pGL3 Basic Vector, and Saos-2 cells were cotransfected with the resulting constructs, an HMGB1- or HMGB2-expressing plasmid and the pRL-tk Vector as a control for normalization. Firefly and Renilla luciferase activities were determined using the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay. To determine whether HMGB1 and HMGB2 promoted binding of the transcription factor nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) to the topoisomerase IIα promoter, the authors used a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Two populations of Saos-2 cells, one of which expressed HMGB1 or HMGB2 and one that had expression inhibited, were fixed with formaldehyde, then treated to shear chromatin. Immunoprecipitation was performed using an anti-NF-Y antibody, and the amount of DNA bound to the NF-Y was quantified by semi-quantitative PCR using GoTaq® Hot Start DNA Polymerase and Green GoTaq® Flexi Reaction Buffer. (4037)

Notes: Here the authors studied various non-synonymous SNPs of retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) that are essential for detecting viral RNA and triggering antiviral responses. Various point mutations were introduced into RIG-1 and MDA5 using the GeneEditor™ in vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis System with pEF-FLAG clones. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and L929 cells were cotransfected with RIG-I mutants or MDA5mutants and pRL-TK Vector, and stimulated with RNA or viral infection. Reporter activity was measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. (4024)

Notes: The authors examined the role of p53 in modulating dUTPase promoter activity. Base substitution mutations of Sp1- and E2F-binding sites in the dUTPase promoter were performed using the GeneEditor™ in vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis System. Each mutant was confirmed by DNA sequencing. To determine growth inhibition, HCT116 human colon cancer cells were seeded in 96-well plates at 3 × 103 cells/well and treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR), oxaliplatin or in combination. After 72 hours, the CellTiter® 96 AQueous One Solution was dispensed into each well and absorbance measured. RNA was isolated from HCT116 p53+/+ and HCT116 p53-/- cells. cDNA was reverse transcribed from 200ng total RNA followed by multiplex qPCR using the Plexor™ qPCR System to amplify dUTPase, thymidylate synthase and GAPDH, a housekeeping gene. The 1.2 kb region of the dUTPase promoter upstream of the transcriptional start site was amplified by PCR and the fragment cloned into the pGL3-Basic Vector. Truncated promoters were also generated by PCR and cloned into the same vector. Drosophila SL-2 cells and HCT116 cell lines were seeded in a 24-well plate and transfected with dUTPase pGL3 promoter constructs or with pCI-Neo:p53WT, pCI-Neo:p53MUT and the empty pCI-neo Mammalian Expression Vector; all transfections included the pRL-TK Vector at a ratio of 1:10. After six hours, the cells were incubated in either fresh medium or medium containing a cytotoxic agent at the appropriate concentration. Thirty hours later, the cells were lysed, quantitated by Western blotting and 20µl of lysate analyzed with the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. Electrophoretic mobility shift analyses (EMSA) were performed using –64 to –91 of the dUTPase-nuclear isoform transcriptional start site in the Gel Shift Assay System. (4031)

Notes: The authors were wanted to study the upstream open reading frame 2 (uORF2) of the 5’ leader of bZIP11 mRNA, which has a role in sucrose regulation. The whole 5’ leader fragment of bZIP11 was subcloned into the pALTER® Vector and amino acid substitutions were introduced using the Altered Sites® II in vitro Mutagenesis System. The pGEM®-T Easy Vector was used to clone two PCR fragments that were then subcloned using restriction enzymes to create a fusion of uORF2 to a different 5’ leader. Arabidopsis seedlings were transformed via particle bombardment. 20mg of plant tissue was ground in Passive Lysis Buffer, centrifuged, and 20µl of the supernatant was assessed for reporter gene expression using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. (4023)

Notes: Regulation of genes targeted by the ligand-activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been shown to be controlled by calcium (Ca(2+)) changes induced by AhR agonists such as the environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). This study investigated this link. As part of the study, MCF-7 cells were transfected with various pGL3 firefly luciferase reporter constructs and the control pRL-TK Vector expressing Renilla luciferase. Transfection conditions were as follows: MCF-7 cells were cultured in 24-well plates and transfection was performed using FuGENE® 6 transfection reagentwith a FuGENE:DNA ration of 3:1. Firefly and Renilla luciferase activities were measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. (4362)

Mol. Biosyst.4, 59-65.
A general system for evaluating the efficiency of chromophore-assisted light inactivation (CALI) of proteins reveals Ru(II) tris-bipyridyl as an unusually efficient "warhead".2008

Lee, J., Yu, P., Xiao, X. and Kodadek, T.

Notes: In this paper, researchers were looking for efficient chromophores for singlet oxygen generation used for chromophore-assisted light inactivation (CALI) of proteins. The HaloTag® protein and firefly luciferase were used to test how well the chromophores performed in crude extracts and living cells. The expression vector for an epitope-tagged Luciferase-HTP protein, 3X Flag-Luc-HTP-Myc, was constructed using firefly luciferase amplified from the pGL3-Basic Vector and HaloTag® (HTP) amplified from the pHT2 Vector. The fusion protein was tested for labeling with a HaloTag® biotin ligand by transfecting HeLa cells with 8μg of 3X Flag-Luc-HTP-Myc plasmid and 80ng of pRL-SV40 Vector. After transfection, cells were lysed with Passive Lysis Buffer and 2μl of HeLa cell lysate was diluted in 48μl of PBS + BSA and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature with increasing concentrations of a biotin-HT ligand. The samples then were incubated with streptavidin-agarose for 30 minutes at room temperature, centrifuged and the luciferase activity of 20μl of supernatant was measured using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. The fusion protein was also tested using two chromophore ligands, ruthenium(II)tris-bipyridyl (Ru-HaloTag®[HT]) and fluoroscein-HT at a concentration of 100nM, and both were successful as measured by the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. An in vivo CALI was performed by transfecting HeLa cells with 100ng of 3X Flag-HTP-Luc-Myc plasmid and 1ng of pRL-SV40 Vector for 15 hours, and treating the cells with Ru-HT or F-HT for 3 hours. The cells were then irradiated for 30 minutes, placed in the dark for 30 minutes, then the cells were lysed and analyzed with the DLR Assay. (3954)

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